Three Simple Steps to Overcome the “I’ll Try Harder” Scenario
January 2022 is ending, does that make you sad? Did you find yourself saying “I’ll try harder. . .” over the last several weeks? You may have declared such intention because you were struggling to accomplish a New Year’s resolution. It’s possible you witnessed someone else succeeding where you wish you had been successful, so you made an inner commitment to yourself to put forth a bit more effort.
I say “I’ll try harder” when confronted by my sweet Pastor husband in an area I’m not feeling badly about. Know what I mean? I feel guilty I’ve hurt or disappointed him, and I honestly say the words with some intention. The reality is I don’t create a plan to change my behavior. Have you been there?
There is a gap between our words and our mental commitment to the words.
God’s Word and our Minds
The Bible offers scriptures that talk about the truth of how our minds affect and change our actions. Romans 12:2 tells us our lives become transformed as we renew our minds through learning about God and His will. Paul tells the believers in Philippi to think on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Philippians 4:8). The prophet Isaiah says we gain peace when we focus our minds on God (Isaiah 26:3), and we learn in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church that our minds can get out of control, so we need to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Moving Beyond “I’ll Try Harder”
Peter provides a plan that can help us get beyond the “I’ll try harder” scenario.
“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. . .”
1 Peter 1:13A (NLT)
It doesn’t appear to be much of a plan, but notice the verse begins with the word “so.” The action of preparing our minds to do something connects to what Peter has already said in the verses preceding verse 13 of First Peter chapter one.
- We are known, chosen, and made holy (verses 1-2).
- We are known, chosen, and holy only because of God’s mercy (verse 3).
- We are to live with the expectation of eternity, it is our “priceless inheritance” (verses 3-4).
- We will endure trials before experiencing “the wonderful joy ahead” (verse 6, NLT)
Let these truths sink into the depths of your thinking. God doesn’t want us to live life always concerned with the need to try harder. God knows us inside and out, and still, He chooses us. Because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the King of Kings allows us into His throne room, and Jesus presents us as Holy before God, the Father. He has glory planned for us; it is what He gives those of us who have chosen to accept His gift of adoption.
Peter’s Three Step Plan
God provides a way for us to journey toward “the wonderful joy ahead” successfully. Peter gives us three steps so that we have a plan instead of just trying harder.
1. Do Mental Prep Work.
Peter didn’t sugarcoat anything, he’s very upfront in declaring there will be trials. On the positive side, he also says the trials won’t last forever. So, because of this, Peter tells us in verse 13 to prepare our minds for action.
A Journey toward New Pipes
We have the grand privilege of getting to replace every pipe in our house. Doesn’t that sound fun? It’s like buying underwear for your home. Last October, we had a small leak, and it uncovered the fact that our house was built with pipes now known to be awful. The pipes get brittle and then they crack; one could have a small leak, or a pipe could burst. Again, doesn’t that sound fun?
We have officially scheduled a date for the plumber to come and replace Every. Single. Pipe. And we have scheduled the dry wall guy to come immediately after. We have created a list of things to do before our latest adventure in home ownership begins.
We have the joy of moving furniture. We get to experience the pleasure of boxing a variety of items and storing them in our dining area. For added fun, we get to cover a generous portion of our furnishings during the drywall phase and then delight in constant dust.
Prepping for Our Pipe Journey
I have already begun mentally preparing myself for this unique journey. I know I need to adapt my expectations of clean and organization for the time that we live in disarray. The house won’t be quiet, or an ideal hide-away, while the work is going on. I will need to expect the unexpected and go with the flow. I must do the mental prep work now.
The process is two weeks away and I am choosing to set my mind on what I know to be true. It won’t last forever; we are choosing this process over waiting to be surprised by a burst pipe; it will provide peace of mind; it will be a good point to emphasize when we choose someday to sell our home; and… (again) it won’t last forever.
Prepping for Our Spiritual Journey
We need to mentally prepare ourselves spiritually in a similar way. Before the trials ever begin, we need to remind ourselves of truth. We need to renew our thinking (Romans 12:2); we need to practice and train our minds to dwell on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Philippians 4:8); we need to choose trusting God now, before a challenging trial, so we learn how we experience peace by focusing on Him (Isaiah 26:3); and we must do the work to destroy the thought patterns we have that go against the truth and knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Our minds need to be as convinced of who Jesus is as our hearts.
2. Focus on What is Yet to Be.
Peter told us there is “wonderful joy ahead.” We are being given a “priceless inheritance.” That is all in the “Some Day,” it’s not necessarily right now. We experience joy and delight in this life here on earth, but it is nothing compared to what God has planned for us.
When I think about the Pipe Journey scheduled on my calendar, I admit I’m looking at the benefit that lies beyond the journey. My sweet Pastor husband and I chose this course of action for the peace that it brings. It’s not something you randomly choose to do for the fun of it. When it’s all said and done, our house will look exactly the same.
I count six separate times Peter refers to the “Some Day” in those first twelve verses of his first letter. We are not to sit and wallow in our trials. We are to dwell on the hope of Jesus Christ. We are to see what will be, not just what we are having to endure.
3. Set Your Mind; Control Yourself.
Peter tells us trials reveal our faith to be genuine as we endure. As we endure more trials, our faith becomes stronger. The stronger our faith the more we love God, and the more we hope in all that He has promised us. Holding on to God and His promises as we experience life’s difficulties teaches us to control our reactions and choose His way of living over our selfish responses.
Set Your Mind on Obedience
Peter clearly states in verse 14, “live as God’s obedient children.” Part of exercising self-control as stated in verse 13 is obeying Christ, just like children are to obey their parents. A child’s obedience is initially because he loves his parents implicitly; a child centers her life on pleasing the ones who care for her and are always with her.
When our children were small, we took a class entitled Growing Kids God’s Way. One of the things emphasized was encouraging our children to obey the first time we asked something of them. The idea was based on the concept our children shouldn’t hesitate to obey us because they could trust we were choosing what was best for them.
I can’t say I always had my children’s best in mind. There were times I wanted them to clean their room just because the mess was driving me nuts. God, on the other hand, really does always have our best in mind. We can completely trust what He says, and what He asks of us. We must set our minds to immediate obedience.
Set Your Mind on Control
Peter also states in verse 14, “don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires.” We all have our issues, right? Each of us needs to determine what our personal red flags are. What leads you to get angry? What causes you to withdraw from others or from God? When are you most apt to respond selfishly? Those are your red flags.
We are to set our minds on actions that will please God and demonstrate our love for Him, and not on actions that are all about me, me, me.
Looking Forward with Confidence
January 2022 is finished. And we are not. This year is still before us with great promise regardless of how we lived out the first month. We have hope because of Christ. He remains the same and His promises are all true.
You don’t need to try harder. Believe He has great plans for you. Remove the gap between your words and your mental commitment. “Prepare you mind for action and exercise self-control.”
“May God give you more and more grace and peace.” 1 Peter 1:2B
I Tried Photo by Umit Y Buz on Unsplash
It always amazes me how often we as believers turn to “works – I’ll try harder” in order to make ourselves feel better about our relationship with God or to somehow give us that peace of mind. I Know better as a life long Christian, and I also know the battle is in my mind. How good it is to be reminded from the Word what I am “to do”. Set my mind on, renew my mind… Prepare…Come to the throne..Let God make me into His Image. The wonderful thing is, I don’t have to try. I just have to give myself “as a living sacrifice which is my spiritual act of worship” Ron 12:1 Hope your pipe renewing goes well and you find yourself full of peace as you go through it 😉